CAPE GIRARDEAU'S CHAMBER STILL BOOMING

A chamber of commerce is only as strong as its membership. In Cape Girardeau, there's real strength in numbers.

The local chamber held another successful membership blitz this past week. A few more new memberships are still being processed, but the numbers will probably end up around the 1,240 mark. That is an amazing number for a town of just 36,000 population.

More than 75 new members were recruited last week alone.

Cape Girardeau's chamber is one of the largest and oldest in the state. In recent years, the chamber's membership has hovered between 1,100 and 1,200. This recent drive puts them over that mark.

Thanks go to many people for this membership boom, from president John Mehner on down. Member participation is crucial as well. The best way to recruit others is enthusiastic testimonials by other businessmen and women.

Currently, the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce ranks fourth in Missouri in membership numbers, behind Kansas City, St. Louis and Springfield. The local chamber also ranks first in the state in the category of 50,000 population and under.

It is an accomplishment of which all chamber members and staff should be proud. With such an active and involved business community, Cape Girardeau's future looks bright indeed.